Day #60: My head is spinning. There was a continuous parade of folks on the dock today to see Nellie. Most would shyly walk by, wave, say hello, and then comment on how much they liked Her. A few marched right up to the Dutch door and started a conversation. One was a retired Moran tug boat captain that now works with the St. Michaels, MD, and Beaufort, NC, maritime museums. Another had just traveled the country looking to buy an LNVT but instead got a great deal on a one-off, LNVT look alike. The most memorable though was a young couple we first chatted with on the dock and then ran into at the grocery store. Seeing us laden with milk, half a case of beer, and several bags of groceries, they offered us a ride back to Nellie. Back aboard we gave them a tour and they told us a little about their lives--with elephants! He started the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee (Elephant.com) while she was a med tech there. Differences with the Board motivated them to move on last year. He's now a sailmaker and she is a vet's assistant. They aren't out of the elephant business though. They've been advising Brazil on how to replicate the Tennessee elephant sanctuary and will be traveling there later this summer. I just have to laugh at the diversity of the people we meet because of Nellie and am in fact grateful to her for making the introductions.
It looks like sometime this weekend the winds should shift to the south and we'll be able to comfortably head north. Until then we'll just keep enjoying the southern hospitality. Still at the Oriental, NC, free dock with 1240nm behind us. DBH
